Posted October 31, 2013
Members of the farm bill conference committee are looking to repeal the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) law that Mexico and Canada have challenged as a violation of world trade rules, according to a Reuters article available here.
The COOL final rule, available here, became effective on May 23, 2013 and modified certain provisions of the COOL regulations after the World Trade Organization (WTO) found that aspects of the regulations violated U.S. trade obligations. The final rule requires labels on certain cuts of meat to provide information on where it was born, raised, and slaughtered.
During the first meeting of the farm bill conferees, several lawmakers said that COOL should be revised or repealed, in part “because of the risk of international sanctions.”
House Agriculture Committee chairman Frank Lucas said in his opening statement, “I am hopeful that working together we can prevent the imposition of tariffs on a wide array of products important to many states.”
Senator Pat Roberts (R-KN) said that he would “support a House provision that was under development and expected to be a repeal clause for COOL.”
Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow said COOL “clearly is one of the issues” for farm bill negotiators.”
While COOL is generally favored by consumer groups, it has been a point of controversy for more than a decade. Congress approved meat-origin labeling in 2002, but it did not become mandatory until 2009.
For more information on Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), sign up for an upcoming webinar hosted by the National Agricultural Law Center here. The National Agricultural Law Center’s Reading Room on the subject is also available here.
Date: Thursday, November 14, from 12 to 1:30 (CST).
Moderator: Harrison Pittman, Director, National Agricultural Law Center
Presenters: J. Dudley Butler, Farm and Ranch Law Group
John Dillard, Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Matz P.C.
Cost: $75 for attorneys seeking CLE credit, $50 for others.
Share: